Two of the biggest stars in the NHL will be on display Tuesday as a pair of second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway. Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host the Metropolitan Division-rival Carolina Hurricanes in the opener of their matchup, while Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game of the series between the Pacific Division adversaries.
The newly crowned all-time goal-scoring leader of the NHL, Ovechkin helped the top-seeded Capitals eliminate the Montreal Canadiens in the first round for their first postseason series victory since defeating the Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Washington and Carolina, which got past the New Jersey Devils in six games, split their four-game series in the regular season, with the home team winning each contest, but the Hurricanes knocked off the Capitals in seven games in their only previous playoff meeting in 2019.
McDavid, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Edmonton came within one victory of the championship last postseason, registered 11 points while the Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth consecutive year. Vegas advanced by defeating the Minnesota Wild in six, winning the last three games of the series – including two in overtime. The Oilers and Golden Knights also split their four-game series in 2024-25, while Vegas won the lone postseason matchup between the clubs in 2023.
Here are some players with value to consider when making prop bets for Tuesday’s playoff games.
Best bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals – anytime goal scorer (+135, FanDuel)
Dating back to the regular season, Ovechkin has recorded a goal in 10 of his last 14 games. The nine-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner, who unseated the legendary Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season tallies last month, converted in three of Washington’s five contests against Montreal in the first round. Ovechkin’s next goal will be the 77th of his postseason career, which will move him past another all-time great – Mario Lemieux – for 12th in playoff history. The 39-year-old Russian scored twice in three meetings with Carolina in 2024-25 and netted four tallies during their seven-game postseason matchup in 2019.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers – anytime goal scorer (+130, DraftKings)
Draisaitl reached the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career and third in four seasons this campaign as he scored 52 to capture the Richard Trophy. The 29-year-old German tallied in three of Edmonton’s first four games against Los Angeles in the opening round but failed to record any of the Oilers’ nine goals over the last two contests. However, Draisaitl converted twice in four games versus the Golden Knights this past season and six times in the Oilers’ six-game loss to Vegas in the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
Evan Bouchard, Oilers – 1+ assist (+110, DraftKings)
Bouchard has registered 48 assists in 59 career postseason games, including three in the first-round opener against the Kings. However, the 25-year-old defenseman has gone five straight contests without one, his longest dry spell since he began the 2024-25 season with a six-game drought. His longest span without an assist in the playoffs occurred in 2022, when he failed to notch one in nine consecutive contests. Even though he has posted a pair of two-goal performances since his last assist, it’s hard to imagine Bouchard won’t set up a tally for a sixth straight game.
Connor McDavid, Oilers – 2+ assists (+190, DraftKings)
A five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, McDavid has registered 89 assists in 80 career postseason games, posting 28 multi-assist performances over his last 67 contests. Three of those efforts came in Edmonton’s six-game victory over Los Angeles in the opening round. The 28-year-old notched a pair of assists twice when the Oilers lost to the Golden Knights in their 2023 matchup and recorded more than one on nine occasions last postseason, when he set the NHL record for most in one playoff year with 34 in 25 contests.
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